Cheese can be made by various processes such as cultured or non-cultured processes. Some cheese can be made from cheese compositions. Generally, cheese compositions can be prepared from cultured, non-cultured, natural, non-natural, imitation or substitute cheeses or cheese formulations. Examples of cheese compositions and processing methods can be found in the U.S. patent publication numbers US2006/0159825 and US2005/0106303.
Typically the processes for the preparation of cheese include the preparation of the various ingredients, which will vary depending upon the type of cheese being prepared, followed by the combination of those ingredients in a cheese cooker. Within the cheese cooker, the ingredients are combined and the composition is heated, typically to a temperature of about 175° F. (about 79° C.) in order for gelatinization to occur and to destroy microbes. In commercially processes, the cheese cooker is typically a counter rotating mixer, through which the mixture may cycle multiple times along the length of the cooker and back in order for adequate mixing to occur, such that the process may take about 4 to 6 minutes to mix and heat the mixture to form a hot melted cheese.
The hot melted cheese is then pumped into a block form and transported to a freezer. The cheese block is then chilled to a temperature of about 40° F. (about 4.4° C.) in order to solidify the cheese as required for cutting the cheese into shreds or cubes, for example. In commercial settings, this cooling process typically takes about 24 hours.